Chapter 27

"How about it, how about it?"

As soon as Greta came down from the foot of the mountain, his companions swarmed around him, asking anxiously. Greta lowered his head, somewhat dejected:

"Magician Germain said I can audit the classes first..."

He recounted the negotiation process with his head down. To his surprise, his companions were all very excited, especially Captain Karen and the young priest John. Captain Karen, who was well-informed, was the first to offer comfort:

"This is already a great deal. Little Greta, you don't know how many noble children in the city don't even have the qualifications to audit classes at the Magic Tower!"

"And it's even free!"

The young priest valued this even more. He even cited the experiences of his own companions to comfort Greta:

"Just in our temple, there are many noble side branches and knight's children who can't afford to learn magic and can only come to the temple for training!"

Can't afford... to learn magic?

Greta managed a weak smile. The tuition for auditors was waived, but he had to provide his own materials for copying spells. Listening to Magician Germain's lectures didn't require extra payment, but whether his disciples would be willing to give guidance without payment was anyone's guess.

He could lower his head and eat only black bread, but could he really run back and forth between the city and the Magic Tower every day?

Everything costs money.

And the original body's monthly salary was only 5 silver coins. After eating, there was barely enough to buy coarse linen clothes.

Greta was filled with worry but dared not show it, fearing that Uncle Karen and the others would worry too. He followed the team on horseback into the city, heading towards the barracks, observing the streets along the way, becoming more and more anxious.

The city guard's barracks were near the north gate. Greta and his team entered from the west gate, taking a half-circle route. The streets they passed through, though not the most prosperous, were not particularly bad. However, what Greta saw was a street lined with dilapidated wooden houses, with drafty windows and doors that were crooked.

Women's skirts were patched upon patches. Greta saw a little girl, about six or seven years old, peeking out from the doorframe of a wooden house. When she saw him looking, she shyly pulled back and then peeked out again. Her dress was tattered, barely covering her thighs. Smaller boys were playing naked in the corners of the walls...

At the corner of the long street, the bread shop mostly displayed black bread.

The streets were not paved with stone slabs, there were no sewers on either side, and no public health facilities. Garbage was piled up randomly, and sewage flowed everywhere. Hooves stepped into mud pits, and black and yellow mud splashed up. Greta didn't want to think about what was in the mud.

One word: poor.

In such a poor city, Greta had no idea how much money he could earn to support himself.

Hopefully, the barracks would be a bit more helpful... No, even if they were helpful, it wouldn't be related to him. Could they really give him a promotion and a raise?

In the future, he would be spending all his time in the Magic Tower. It would be good enough if the city guard didn't fire him.

Greta was full of anxiety as he followed Captain Karen into the barracks. The memory of the original body still had some images of what the barracks looked like, but when he actually entered, he was slightly shocked:

The city guard of Hartland was not large, with only about 200 people, not even as many as a county public security bureau in his previous life. Of course, whether the population of this small city could match a county in his previous life was anyone's guess;

It wasn't small either, as 200 people needed to gather, train, and fight in this area. Greta had already seen how powerful knights were on Knight Roman. A small place wouldn't be enough for them to play around...

For example, right now. On the training ground, which was larger than a school playground, two knights were fighting, creating a cloud of dust. The sound of their weapons clashing could be heard even from the other side of the training ground. Captain Karen immediately stopped:

"The battalion commander and Sir Syro are sparring! Our company commander is there too, let's go over there..."

The city guard had 200 people, with one battalion commander, Stephen Nolan, a 7th-level knight; and four company commanders, all with knight-level strength, equivalent to 5th-level warriors and above. Greta vaguely remembered that his father, before he died in battle, was also a company commander in the city guard.

As for someone like Uncle Karen, whose strength never reached knight level and whose age was advancing, with his body beginning to decline, he could only remain a squad leader...

Captain Karen's company, led by Knight Flynn, who looked to be around 35 or 36, was in the prime of his life. After listening to Captain Karen's report, he glanced in the direction of the Spring Goddess Temple and sneered:

"Whatever they say? Do they think our city guard is easy to bully?"

Greta felt a bit relieved. Knight Flynn beckoned him closer and asked with a smile:

"You've mastered healing? And you want to learn magic? How many times a month?"

"Magician Germain allows me to go every day," Greta answered honestly. After saying this, he hesitated for a moment, looking embarrassed:

"Knight Flynn, can I... can I ask you for a favor..."

"What?"

Knight Flynn asked with interest. Greta tried not to blush:

"I need to go to the Magic Tower to read books these days and can't participate in patrols. Can you... temporarily not deduct my salary..."

Not working for a long time, not on paid leave, and still wanting to get paid, this was something Greta had never experienced in his previous life. He was embarrassed and stammered, but finally managed to finish his sentence. However, he heard Knight Flynn burst into laughter:

"Little Greta, you... you!"

Greta was taken aback. Knight Flynn laughed heartily, even shedding tears, and wiped them away:

"Actually worried about having your salary deducted! Silly boy, you, you... hahaha!"

The laughter was so loud that the two knights sparring on the field were distracted. Sir Syro's guard slowed, and he was hit and flew out with a thud!

"Ahhh!!!"

The onlookers let out a chorus of screams. A group of them ran towards the scene. Greta had only taken a few steps when he heard someone shouting frantically:

"Get a priest! Quickly, get a priest!"

The tone was urgent and desperate, just like the family members shouting "doctor" in the emergency room in his previous life.

Greta quickened his pace. He pushed through the crowd and peered in, his breath catching in his throat.

The injured man was curled on the ground, his lips blue, his hands reaching for his chest. His eyes were wide like a goldfish's, his mouth open wide, gasping for air as if he were about to suffocate. The veins in his neck were bulging like worms, and he was drenched in sweat, struggling fiercely.

This is...

"Take off his clothes! Quickly, take them off!"

Without waiting for Greta to speak, the surrounding warriors were already tearing off the injured man's clothes. For external injuries, removing the clothes to facilitate the priest's treatment was a common understanding among warriors. Once the clothes were off, the injury was visible, and Greta immediately furrowed his brow.

The injured man's chest was unnaturally twisted. His ribs were broken, and his chest wall was caved in, with jagged bone fragments piercing the skin. More dangerously, the right side of his chest was abnormally full.

The distance between the ribs was clearly widened. With each breath, the caved-in part of the right chest alternated between sinking and protruding.

Combining the blue lips, distended neck veins, and difficulty breathing, Greta immediately thought of a term:

Tension pneumothorax!